Judge — December 31, 1927 — page 15: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

= = Editor, Norman Anthony “Disarm or Perish” ussia_ strode into the disarmament meeting at R Geneva and blurted out that the work going on there was “merely decorative.” would put it, Blah. Or as we Or, as Senator Borah puts it, ‘cheese-paring.” Litvinov, the Russian delegate, lared the nations to scrap all warships, forts, weapons, ammunition, disband all armies and staffs, quit all military tr: any ning and make war activity of nst the State. He put his lenge in the form of a motion. Nobody seconded it. After lunch they discussed it. at all new. kind a crime The idea was not The world wasn’t ready for it. What was the hurry, anyw As France said in her silky way, we want “security first and disarmament after- ward.” For a few days the press took notice, mostly making fun of Russia’s crazy idea or calling it devilish propaganda, then dropped it lik hot poker. That was only four weeks ago. ‘Today you can hardly find a line about it in the papers. It’s impractical. Of course. Let’s look at the practical situation. Nitti declares that the nations have never armed so madly as since 1918. Lord Robert Cecil solemnly: warns, “disarm or perish.” Lloyd George and Marshal Foch both say that the we are going now there will be another world war within ten years. Henri de Jouvenel even fixes the date as 19 The late Jan Bratianu predicted that Mussolini would be the man to lead all Europe into conflict. But in England responsible men are saying that the United States is the most ruthless and aggressive nation and “the source of the greatest danger of future wars.” ng that the United States can’t co- operate very much “because of our determination to leave to the European nations those matters which are peculiarly their own concern and not ours.” We may be excused for dismissing the Russian proposal as visionary, because we must show that we are a hard-headed people. We go on si There is no possible excuse for the hypocrisy by which we pretend to stand for peace but shilly-shally on every effort to guarantee peace. To adapt a familiar epigram, we are nothing if not practical, and we are not practical. * * * + somewhat under the influence of the holiday spirit, this page made a grievous over-statement last week. It said that after-dinner speaking seems to be less prevalent. On sober second thought that Auciate Editors, Richard J. Walsh, Phil Rosa, Jack Shuttleworth. Dramatic Editor, George Jean Nathan must be classed as wishful thinking. Not wistful. Wishful. Latest reports from our secret agents in all ies forecast a full winter schedule of dinners with ympanying vocalization, There is an alarming in se in the number of testimonial banquets, par- ticularly in those paid for by the guest of honor. One dossier shows that a certain man put up $10,000 to pay for a dinner held for him, including the cost of the magnificent gift presented to him as a memento of the occasion. What we want to know is how long the dinner-jacket hicks will continue to turn out to eat cold food and listen to hot air? c ac cr * * * AS the year closes, there is a good deal of back- slapping and psalm-singing about our prosperity. Onlookers who have not partaken of any statistical hooch will notice with misgivings that certain citizens do not join in the fun—e, g. the farmers, the textile workers, the coal miners. It is true, as Hoover's annual report shows, that the average wage is “higher than anywhere else in the world or at any other time in world history.” But that is one of those averages, and Irving Fisher points out that sixty-five per cent of our population is receiving less than the minimum required for health and decency. The really hopeful fact is not the present living standard, but the five- year increase in earnings, “the most astonishing gain in real income yet shown by any nation.” If this gain goes on for five years more, Professor Fisher ys, poverty will be virtually banished. Younger Generation Notes. No. 3 Ww the usual stupidity, mine guards and police have been shooting strikers at the coal mines in Colorado, Among the firiest leaders of the mob was a girl of nineteen, Milka Sablich. They dubbed her “the flaming girl in red.” A mounted guard rode her down. Recovering from her injuries, she went tearing back to the forefront. They put her in jail. “T went into the strike,” she says. “because I was born in a coal camp and have spent nearly all the nineteen years of my life in one, and know from bitter experience its hardships, dangers and_ priva- tions.” Call her mistaken, if you like, or dangerous. But you've got to concede her courage, her vigor and her sacrifice of self. Her case is one of thousands that prove that the Younger Generation hasn’t been standardized yet, no, nor ever will be. R..J. W. comicbooks.com